Thunderbirds on the Wrong Side of Two Out, Five Run Rally

CEDAR CITY, Utah - March 19 - Southern Utah went into the seventh inning with a 7-6 lead and had Western Illinois on the ropes with two outs, but a Fighting Leatherneck double sparked a five-run rally as the Thunderbirds fell 11-7 on Saturday afternoon. The loss prevented a series sweep and dropped the T-Birds to 9-16 on the year and 4-2 in conference play.

Southern Utah opened the game with a 6-0 lead after scoring three runs in both the first and second innings. The T-birds tallied the runs on a two-run double by Darleen Fernandez and RBI double by Katie Olinger in the first and a three-run double off the bat of Haylee Hoch in the second.

SUU starter Heather Black kept Western Illinois at bay despite a few tight situations over the same span. The Fighting Leathernecks had runners on the corners with two outs in each of the first three innings, but a final strikeout induced by Black in each stanza ended the threat. However, Black couldn't get out of a bind in the fourth inning as an opening error was followed by four consecutive base hits to start a six-run frame. Western's Jamie Goss capped the scoring with a three-run home run over the centerfield fence.

The game remained 6-6 into the bottom of the sixth inning as the Thunderbirds loaded the bases with two outs and Fernandez at bat. The senior slapped a ball down the third base line with the fielder falling over the foul line while making the defensive play. Despite the great stop, a throw wasn't made and all runners were called safe, giving the T-Birds a 7-6 lead.

An opening out was recorded in the top of the seventh on a ground ball, but three batters later the bases were loaded with Leathernecks. SUU reliever Bubba Kearns induced a ground ball for the second out of the frame, but couldn't get out of the inning as Western Illinois hit three consecutive doubles to sweep the victory from under the Thunderbirds in the 11-7 defeat.

Kearns suffered the loss in the circle for Southern Utah, throwing 3.0 innings of relief and giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks. Hailey Bickford earned the victory for WIU, throwing 1.2 innings of relief and allowing only one T-Bird hit with two strikeouts.

Southern Utah will continue its season on Tuesday when the Thunderbirds play a doubleheader with Dixie State in St. George. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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